Palo Duro Creek Explained

Palo Duro Creek
Source1:North Palo Duro Creek and South Palo Duro Creek
Mouth:Beaver River
Mouth Location:Hardesty, Oklahoma
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:United States
Length:135km (84miles)

Palo Duro Creek is formed in Texas from the junction of North Palo Duro Creek and South Palo Duro Creek north of Morse, Texas.[1] The creek continues generally northeast until it becomes a tributary of the Beaver River (North Canadian River) in Oklahoma at a point east-northeast of Hardesty, Oklahoma, west of Balko, Oklahoma, and north of U.S. Route 412 near the Texas County/Beaver County line, downstream from the Optima Lake project.[2]

North Palo Duro Creek in turn originates at about the Dallam County/Hartley County line east of Dalhart and west of Cactus in Texas.[3] South Palo Duro Creek originates east of the Hartley County/Moore County line, west-northwest of Dumas, Texas.[4]

Palo Duro Creek is impounded at Palo Duro Dam, about 10 miles north of Spearman, Texas.[5] The dam was authorized in 1985. The reservoir was created for both water supply and recreation purposes. The earthen dam has a maximum height of 128 feet and a length of 3,800 feet, with a maximum storage capacity of almost 61,000 acre-feet. It was completed by the County of Moore (providing 72% of the funding), County of Hansford, and City of Stinnett in March 1991.[6] But the reservoir has never reached more than a few percent of its capacity: both the creek and reservoir rely on surface runoff to fill, in an area with little rainfall and prone to drought.[7]

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Morse, Texas. Mapquest. April 11, 2020.
  2. Web site: 36.640000, -100.970000. Mapquest. May 26, 2020.
  3. Web site: Cactus, Texas. Mapquest. April 12, 2020.
  4. Web site: Dumas, Texas. Mapquest. April 12, 2020.
  5. Web site: Palo Duro Reservoir. Texas Parks & Wildlife. November 2, 2020.
  6. Web site: Palo Duro Reservoir (Canadian River Basin) . Texas Water Development Board. November 2, 2020.
  7. Web site: A Texas County Invests $39 Million in a Lake That's Almost a Dry Hole . 30 July 2017 . Russell Jones, Reporting Texas, July 30, 2017. November 2, 2020.